Sep 12 Heirloom tomato salad with burrata and pickled shallots

We have a favourite little Italian restaurant here in Bermondsey called Antico. It's about a 15-minute walk from our house and it's our go-to place for anytime we want to celebrate something special. They make the best risotto I've found in London (I'd say it comes quite close to the risottos you get in Italy) and Christian is crazy about their homemade pastas. Their starters are also phenomenal - their menus change with the seasons and they use the freshest ingredients for all kinds of creative salads and cold plates. During a visit earlier this summer, I had the pleasure to try a truly tasty heirloom tomato salad. It was perfectly seasoned and served with a nice helping of burrata cheese. And that's where the inspiration for this recipe for heirloom tomato salad with burrata and pickled shallots came from. Now, I've just googled the restaurant's website to link back to their page and have discovered that they will be closing their doors in about two weeks' time. I am a little bit heartbroken to say the least - but I suppose now is as good a time as any to do a little tribute post to their amazing salads. Snif.

This salad is a gorgeous way to celebrate the last of the summer days. Yes, it is technically still summer until the 21st of September, so it's totally okay for me to be posting such a summery recipe. Never mind the cold weather and wind and rain we've had here in London the last few days - this salad will brighten up your day.

Onto the recipe. This one is super easy to make and requires only a handful of ingredients. You've got a bed of lightly dressed chopped heirloom tomatoes topped with sliced creamy burrata cheese and garnished with quick-pickled shallots. That's all there is to it. Because the recipe is so simple, it's really important to choose the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on. That means bright and colourful organic heirloom tomatoes and the best quality burrata cheese you can find. I've been getting my tomatoes and burrata from Natoora lately (we like to visit them every once in a while at the Saturday morning Spa Terminus market in Bermondsey), and their heirloom tomatoes have been just amazing the last couple of weeks.

The finishing touch is the garnish of quick-pickled shallots. Over the last few weeks I've been keeping a batch of these pickled beauties in the fridge and have been putting them in all kinds of salads including this one and enjoying them as a garnish on snacks like hummus on rice cake thins. They are also amazing eaten by the forkful, if I'm totally honest. To make them, all you need to do is thinly slice a few shallots, cover them in raw cider vinegar and add some seasonings (I keep it simple with black peppercorns, pink salt and Demerara sugar). Let sit for at least half an hour and voila! The longer they marinate the tastier they get.

And that's it! The simplest of recipes for maybe the tastiest of tomato salads you'll ever try - inspired by my favourite restaurant in Bermondsey. If you're in the neighbourhood over the next couple weeks, check them out before it's too late!

-xo KA

Heirloom tomato salad with burrata and pickled shallots

This recipe is inspired by a tomato salad I had at Antico, one of my favourite Italian restaurants in London (which is sadly closing its doors in about two weeks' time). Because this recipe only requires a handful of ingredients, do you your best to source the freshest tomatoes and burrata cheese you can get your hands on. This recipe will make more pickled shallots than you need, but they can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed on all kinds of salads and snacks.

Ingredients

3 echalion shallots, halved and finely sliced using a mandoline

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

5-6 whole black peppercorns

1/2 tsp pink salt

1 tsp Demerara sugar

200g mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tbsp olive oil

1 pinch pink salt

freshly ground pepper

1 100g ball of burrata cheese, quartered and then sliced

Method:

In a small jar or bowl, combine the sliced shallots, cider vinegar, peppercorns, salt and sugar. Give the mixture a good toss and let sit for at least half an hour - the longer the shallots marinate the tastier they will be. Note that this recipe yields more pickled shallots than you'll need, but they taste great on pretty much everything and keep well in the fridge.

Once the shallots are done, combine the quartered heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small salad bowl and toss to coat. Arrange the sliced burrata in the center on top of the tomatoes, and top with 1-2 tbsp of the pickled shallots. Season with a good dusting of ground pepper.